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The aim of this review is to focus on the politics in the adaptation of the novel The Color Purple by Alice Walker to the film The Color Purple directed by Steven Spielberg in 1985. In doing so, this review shall firstly discuss the significance of the period in which the film was made. Secondly, it shall highlight the politics behind the movie being a Hollywood production directed by Steven Spielberg. Thirdly, this review shall discuss the manner in which the novel has been interpreted in the movie primarily through the absence of the theme of nationalism. Furthermore, the portrayal of the character of Mister and Shugs in the movie shall also be discussed in relation to the novel in order to identify the significance of these editorial decisions. Finally, this review shall discuss the images of the two sisters clapping together in contributing greatly to the visual effect of the film.

Significantly, the movie The Color Purple was released in a time period where there was an outburst of various forms of entertainment that showcased the talent of African American artists and the life style of affluent African Americans on American Television channels. The popular sitcom The Cosby Show starring Bill Cosby and Phylicia Rashād was firstly aired in 1984. This program was one of the first sitcoms that dealt with themes such as the Civil Rights Movement, African-American culture and African culture. These themes were represented by artists and musicians such as Jacob Lawrence, Miles Davis, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Lena Horne, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie and Miriam Makeba. Furthermore, during the period of 1985 two other significant sit coms consisting primarily of an African American cast were also firstly aired which focused on the lifestyle of African Americans. The entertainment program 227 was high-rated show set in a predominately Black neighborhood. Secondly, the television show Amen was also set in and around a Philadelphia-based black church. Interestingly, it was during this period that the first syndicated talk show hosted by an African American, Oprah Winfrey, was aired. Moreover, the song ‘We are the world’ was recorded by the Super group of USA for Africa in 1985. This song is also included as a part of showcasing African American talent due to two distinct reasons. Firstly, it was written by African American artists Michael Jackson and Lionel Ritchie while it was produced by Quincy Jones, who also produces the Music for the movie The Color Purple. Secondly, the proceeds collected from the sales of this record were utilized to assist those who were affected by the earthquake in Haiti. Hence I felt that this is rather interesting as it is an attempt made predominantly by the African Americans to give back to the nation of their ancestors. In that sense, the period in which the movie was released is rather significant as it seems to be a period in which many African American artists were showcasing their talents. Therefore, I believe that Steven Spielberg succumbed to this trend of showcasing African American talent and their lifestyles by producing a movie that involves an African American cast that engages with the toils average African Americans faced during the 1930’s.

The Hollywood production of The Color Purple is rather interesting to analyze as it does not depict every character and every relationship that is mentioned in the novel as Alice Walker intended it to be. For example Alice Walker clearly suggests that Celie and Shug share a sexual relationship that is very intimate and passionate through lines such as ‘she say, I love you, Miss Celie. And then she haul off and kiss me on the mouth…I kiss her back…us kiss and kiss till us hardly kiss no more. Then us touch each other’ (pg.103). However, in the movie this relationship is not depicted as sexually intense as in the novel. In fact even the song Shug dedicates to Celie repeats the word ‘sister’ so much so that it undervalues the sexual relationship they share. I believe that Spielberg has not depicted this relationship shared by Celie and Shug as not very sexual as presented by Walker although there is one scene in the movie where Celie and Shug kiss each other in the lip cheek and forehead.I believe that this is primarily due to the fact that homosexuality was seen as very subversive and controversial to the audience of Hollywood production that mostly conform to mainstream culture. However, one can interpret this scene in the movie where Celie and Shug kiss as one of ‘connotative homosexuality’. Benshoff and Griffin state that connotative homosexuality means implying or suggesting homosexuality in a very subtle way rather than stating it out right. They further mention that connotative homosexuality became the usual way in which classical Hollywood cinema depicts gays and lesbians as Hollywood movies were expected to conform to the norms of society. According to the website Film Reference, Gay and lesbian concerns and characters often found varied representations outside the Hollywood industry, in foreign, experimental, and documentary filmmaking
Thus it is evident that Spielberg has also used this technique in order to imply that Celie and Shug shared a lesbian relationship. Consequently, this is done in order refrain from making an obvious statement on their tendencies of homosexuality which may result is the censorship of the movie due its subversiveness. Therefore, I believe that the homosexual relationship has been underscored greatly in the movie as opposed to the novel due to the nature of the movie being a Hollywood production.

It is also interesting to note that a Jewish white male has taken the initiative to direct a movie that is based on a novel written by an African American feminist who deals with their bitter experiences. I personally feel that the way in which Spielberg presented the character of Shug in the movie did not do justice to the feminist author’s portrayal of this ‘wild woman’. As a result I agree with Featherstone’s (1985) comment that Hollywood is notoriously insensitive to the concerns of women and people of color. This is because in the novel Shug is presented as a very headstrong, independent and a ‘wild woman’ who is agentive. The fact that she decides to sing and dance to the public which was considered a daring venture for a lady clearly depicts her independent nature. However, in the movie she is depicted as one who constantly attempts to seek forgiveness from her farther for disappointing him with her conduct. The fact that she says ‘see daddy, sinners have souls too’ in the scene where she leads her audience to the church clearly indicates her loss of pride and value for her rebellious conduct. Dix (1985) also mentions that ‘To have this woman come back to the church and into the embrace of her father, the preacher who had done sermons about her lifestyle as sin incarnate, definitely undercuts the rebel image of Shug and undercuts the movie´s overall strong stand against patriarchy.” Therefore, I feel that Spielberg through the portrayal of Shrug as vulnerable is being patriarchal by depicting Shrug as susceptible to men. Hence the weaker portrayal of Shug in the movie can be interpreted as the subtle way in which the male director of the movie undermines the feminist agenda that was placed in Walker’s novel.

Significantly, Spielberg’s movie does not discuss the themes of nationalism that was raised in Waker’s novel. The author in the novel attempts to highlight the way in which the African Americans did not feel a part of the nation through two significant instances. Firstly, it is brought out effectively through the lines ‘White people busy celebrating they independence from England July 4th, say Harpo, so most black folks don’t have to work. Us spend day celebrating each other’ (pg.261). Secondly, its brought out through the lines ‘The way you know who discover America, Nettie say, is think bout cucumbers’. I believe Walker through these instances effectively show the way in which the African Americans do not feel a part of America due to the way in which they were exploited as a result of the institution of slavery by Americans. The fact that this theme is absent in Spielberg’s Hollywood production can be interpreted in two ways. Firstly, it shows that the director does not want to create a form of unease for the American audience by provoking them to feel guilty for their ancestor’s treatment towards the African Americans. Secondly, it also shows the way in which the director himself is not willing to take responsibility as a white American for creating this form of unpatriotic nature within the African Americans. Therefore, I believe that Spielberg’s attempt in eliminating this unpatriotic nature within the characters in the movie clearly shows that he does not want to address this issue which may result in a form of controversy.

Furthermore, the fact that this movie does not depict the gradual development of Mister’s character is rather significant. In the novel Mister is portrayed positively towards the end although he is represented disapprovingly through his treatment towards Celie at the beginning. The lines ‘After all the evil he done I know why I don’t hate him…Plus look like he appreciate some of the things God was playful enough to make. I mean when you talk to him now he really listen…it feel like a new experience’ (pg.236). These lines clearly indicate that towards the end Mister did transform to a sensible and approachable person even to Celie to whom he was the most vindictive and vengeful to. Therefore, it can be concluded that Walker did not degrade African American men entirely for their inconsiderate nature towards their women through her transformation of the her male protagonist. However, the fact that Spielberg does not highlight this transformation on the character of Mister can be due to his intention of presenting the male characters as wicked and unsophisticated. I personally feel that Spielberg made a conscious choice to not highlight the transformation in Mister’s character in order to place blame on the African American male. This I believe is done in order to make sure that the audience identifies the African American male as the oppressor rather than the white man who instigated the institution of slavery. Furthermore, the fact that the director eliminates the instance where Sophia rebukes the Anglo Americans by saying ‘Some colored people so scared of whitefolks they claim to love the cotton gin’ (pg.240) clearly shows that the director is placing the African American male as the cause for the deterioration of the lives of these women.

The image of Celie and Nettie clapping hands to the song ‘You and me us never part’ at the beginning and in the middle of the movie adds greatly to the visual effect of the film. This is because this image firstly, portrayed right at the beginning. This clearly enlightens the audience about the vey close relationship the sisters’ share. The fact that they engage in this activity even when Nettie is forced to leave the house it saddens the audience greatly as it effectively highlights the pain and trauma that the sisters go through due to their partition. Furthermore, I believe that this image functions for a strategic purpose of exposing the conclusion of the movie by indicating that ‘aint no ocean ain’t no sea’ can part them from each other. These words have a literal meaning due to that fact that Nettie and Celie managed to get together although they were in different countries at a certain point in time. Moreover, the image of the two sisters clapping their hands to the song plays a significant role in highlighting the emphasis placed on the relationship of sisterhood. Although Spielberg does not emphasize the sexual and intimate relationship shared between Shug and Celie due to its controversial nature within mainstream Hollywood culture, he does not underscore the relationship of the sisters as this relationship is accepted within the societal norms of society. Therefore, I believe that Spielberg places emphasis to this image also because he promotes relationships that are accepted within social conventions. In that sense, this image plays a significant role on many levels as highlighted above.

In conclusion, it is evident that Spielberg’s Hollywood production The Color Purple does not entirely conform to the depictions of characters and relationships as Walker intended them to be. In that sense it is very interesting to analyze this movie due to two reasons. Firstly, because it provides an opportunity to the audience to evaluate the way in which a narrative from the perspective of a race that was previously enslaved is affected when it is represented through a medium such as Hollywood. Secondly, because it provides an opportunity to evaluate the way in which a white male director presents the feminist agenda of an African American female. This was clearly brought out in the review through the discussion of the character portrayal of Mister, Shug and the relationship shared between Celie and Shug. Hence I believe that Spielberg’s rendition of ‘The Color Purple’ is very significant as it clearly depicts the way in he promotes societal norms that are pertinent to the American society.

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Complicating the Idea of Race

The aim of this post is to highlight the way in which Morrison complicates the ideas of race in A Mercy. In doing so, this post will put forward Morrison’s primary way of complicating the idea of race through the representation of class based segregation and animosity rather that segregation based on race in the novel. This shall be explored through the discussion of the ‘people’s war’, Lina’s perception of the colonizer and the animosity Jacob has towards D’Ortego. Furthermore, the discussion of the racial backgrounds of the slaves in Jacob’s household and the representation of race as a social construct shall also be highlighted to show the way in which Morrison complicates the idea of race in A Mercy.

This paper puts forward the argument that Morrison primarily complicates the idea of race through her focus on the depiction of class based conflicts. She highlights class based animosities on different circumstances in the novel to effectively highlight the fact that the institution of slavery was not racial in the context in which the novel is placed. This paper shall extensively discuss these different circumstances of class based animosity in order to unravel the emergence of the concept of race as a result of financial motives.

Firstly, Morrison complicates the idea of race through the depiction of a ‘people’s war’ (pg.8). In context with the American history, this rebellion she highlights is the Bacon’s Rebellion that took place in 1676. The fact that she mentions ‘half a dozen years ago an army of blacks, natives and whites, mullatoes-freedmen, slaves and indentured-had waged war against local gentry led by members of that very class’ clearly shows that she introduces the institution of slavery with relation to a class as opposed to a race. Possibly, Morrison’s intention in including these lines is to depict a sense of racial harmony and unity that existed during this period. Moreover, it is evident through the following lines that she blames the gentry for the separation they created between this racially united class and for the creation of the concept of race. The lines ‘‘by eliminating manumissions, gatherings, travels and bearing arms for black people only; by granting license to any white to kill any black for any reason; by compensating owners for a slave’s maiming or death, they separated all whites from all others forever. Any social ease … crumbled beneath a hammer wielded in the interests of the gentry’s profits’. Through these lines Morrison effectively complicates the concept of race by highlighting it’s emergence as a result of the gentry’s agenda for seeking financial gain. Hine et.al (2003) mentions that the uprising of the Bacon’s Rebellion convinced the colony’s elite that continuing to rely on white agricultural laborers, who could become free and get guns, was dangerous’. Therefore, the gentry disadvantaged the blacks with the privileges as highlighted above by Morrison in order to separate the whites from the blacks of the poor class. Hence Morrison through the excerpt about the Bacon’s rebellion and its effects on the black community successfully highlights the fact that racial segregation emerged as a result of financial motives of the ruling gentry of that period. This invariably complicates the idea of race it presents this concept as an effect of the contempt the gentry had towards the racial unity among the poor class.

Secondly, Morrison complicates the idea of race by portraying the perception of Lina about the colonizers. The fact that Lina mentions ‘impoverished gentry, that is, since they owned nothing, certainly not the land they slept on, preferring to live as entitled paupers’ about her early childhood and her experiences is significant. This is because a close reading of the above statement suggests that the blame is assigned to the’ gentry’, which is a group identified by their financial income. Secondly, the mission of this ‘gentry’ was to acquire land, which is again a motive related to a financial gain rather than cultural domination. Thirdly, the fact that Lina terms them as ‘entitled paupers’ also clearly denote the fact that the individual who experiences these atrocities perceive the colonizers as ‘paupers’ rather than with their skin color or any of their other distinct characteristic. This is certainly interesting as it clearly shows that the element of race did not play a role in the hardships she faced due to the fact that she does not mention anything in relation to it. As a result, the description of Lina’s early childhood experience also complicates the idea of race which furthermore highlights its insignificant nature in this context.

Thirdly, the immense focus on Jacob Vaark’s class based animosity against D’Ortega through out the novel also contributes to the complication about the idea of race as it emphasizes the division between the whites. Jacob’s lines ‘Why such a show on a sleepy afternoon for a single guest well below their station? Intentional he decided; a stage performance to humiliate him into a groveling acceptance of D’Ortega’s wishes’ clearly show the animosity Jacob has towards the gentry. His hatred towards this class is also shown when Florens’s mother states ‘When the tall man with yellow hair came to dine, I saw he hated the food and I saw things in his eyes that he did not trust Senhor, Senhora or their sons’. The analysis of this statement also proves the fact that Morrison not only uses the statement of Jacob to validate his class based animosity, but also the statement of another character in order to firmly state her case of making the reader aware about the existence of a class based animosity than a racial one.

Interestingly, Jacob’s statement ‘Thus tamping envy as taught in the poorhouse, Jacob entertained himself by conjuring up flaws in the couple’s marriage’ is very significant. This is because it shows that class based prejudices were evoked rather than racial prejudices in the ‘poor house’. Consequently, this is yet another clear indication to the existence of class based hostility. Moreover, the lines ‘‘For the first time he had not tricked, not flattered, not manipulated, but gone head to head with rich gentry’ clearly shows the division that exists between these two men as a result of their class.

Significantly, it is also evident that these two men posses different values and codes of conduct. The fact that Jacob says ‘Flesh is not my commodity’ explicitly shows his contempt towards the institution of slavery. Therefore, Morrison through this novel educates the reader that it is not possible to make an assumption or generalize about the characteristics of the whites who existed in the early seventeenth century as they did not share same values and perception. Furthermore, the lines ‘‘One day –soon, maybe-to everyone’s relief the Stuarts would lose the throne, and a Protestant rule. Then he thought, a case against D’Ortega would succeed and he would not be forced to settle for a child as a percentage of what was due to him’ shows the discrimination that took place on the basis of class. The fact that Morrison highlights the way in which the institution of law provides privileges to the gentry dramatically shows the class based division that existed during this period further. Hence it could be perceived that Jacob ‘ disembarked, found a village and negotiated native trails, on horseback, mindful of their fields and maze, careful through their hunting grounds, politely asking permission to enter a small village’ due to his understanding of the immense preparation a farmer goes through in order to maintain his crops. Furthermore, the fact that he asks permission before entering the village also maybe due to the fact that he is more inclined to respect the Native Americans as their share similar social stations. As a result these instances and possible interpretations highlighted above complicates the idea of race as the novel focuses on the class based prejudices and highlights this as the core injustice that take place during this period.

Moreover, Morrison complicates the idea of race by highlighting slaves from different racial background within the household of Jacob Vaarks. Lina is a Native American, Florens is a black, William and Scully are ‘both Europes’ and since Sorrow has ‘red hair’, she is possibly a European. The shared identity of these slaves is their class and their social circumstance which clearly denote that the institution of slavery at that time was not racial.

Furthermore, the blacksmith’s lines in relation to the conversation he has with Florens right after she accidently harms the boy in house is noteworthy. The fact that he says Florens became a slave ‘because her head is empty’ and that she is ‘a slave by choice’ clearly shows Morrison’s attempt to highlight the concept of race as a social construct. Through these lines she complicates the idea of race by highlighting it as a concept that was created and it is only the internalization of that concept that makes individuals perceive themselves as different to others of different racial backgrounds. Although Morrison does not state in the novel that this concept was initiated by the gentry, it is evident through the consequences of the Bacon’s Rebellion that it was. Hence through the enlightenment of this fact Morrison clearly makes her argument about the fact that race is a concept that was socially constructed by the gentry in order to effectively gain their financial aims.

In conclusion, it is apparent that Morrison complicates ideas of race in A Mercy effectively by presenting the notion of race emerging as a result of the selfish motive of the colony’s intention to increase their financial gain. Therefore, this research paper outlines the discussion of the Bacon’s Rebellion, Lina’s perception of the colonizers, Jacob Vaark’s attitude towards the non-whites and the blacksmith’s perception of race in order to complicate the idea of race from the general notion of it being related to the institution of slavery. In that sense this novel plays a significant role in explicitly highlighting the ideas of race as a social construct created for purposes of selfish motives. Hence Morrison presents race as a concept that did not play a significant role in the 1680’s of American history in comparison to class.